- Primary Rank: Focus on securing S and SS-tier units to anchor your late-game teams.
- Meta Shift: The June 2026 Eternal Adversaries Update 13.5 has introduced powerful new Vanguard and Secret units.
- Resource Priority: Save your rare Trait Rerolls and Stat Chips for fully evolved carries.
- Team Balance: Always pair high-damage carries with cost-efficient economy supports and crowd-control units.
Meta Overview & Methodology
The meta landscape in June 2026 is heavily defined by the Eternal Adversaries Update 13.5. Evaluating units in this tower defense experience requires analyzing raw damage output, crowd control utility, placement limits, and economy efficiency. A single over-powered damage dealer cannot carry you through late-game Raids, Rifts, or Worldlines without the proper support infrastructure.
To establish a highly accurate anime vanguards tier list, units are evaluated across several distinct performance metrics to ensure they fulfill specific tactical roles inside a balanced team.
| Metric | Focus | Weight in Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| Damage Ceiling | Sustained DPS and burst potential against boss waves | High |
| Crowd Control | Stuns, freezes, slows, and attack window creation | High |
| Slot Efficiency | Placement costs, deployment limits, and summon mechanics | Medium |
| Synergy Potential | Ability to buff specific factions or trigger status conditions | Medium |
Evolved units perform significantly better than their base forms. Never judge a unit's long-term placement on the tier list based purely on its unevolved stats.
Anime Vanguards Tier List: Meta Rankings
This tier list ranks the best units in the current version of the game. Use this breakdown to plan your summons, manage your evolution materials, and decide which characters deserve your premium resources first.
| Tier | Role | Top Units | Key Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| SS | Meta Cores | Demon Leader, God (Above Heaven), Song Jinwu & Igros, Gujo (Infinity), Lich King, Rogita (Super 4), Ice Queen, Alocard | Unmatched damage, slotless summons, or map-wide crowd control |
| S+ | Endgame Support & Carries | Demon Hybrid, Brolzi Super, Skele King (Rock), Divalo (Requiem), Teacher (Final Stand), Quetzalcoatl | High scaling damage or essential utility for hard content |
| S | Strong General Picks | Iscanur (Pride), Pink Villain, Okorun (Turbo), Savior (Moonless), Koguro, Renguko, Explosive Demon | Reliable carries for story progression and mid-tier farming |
| A | Budget & Progression | Deceiver (Monster), Igros (Elite Knight), Armored Mage, Elastic Captain, Fastest Shinobi, Saber, Slime | Strong early-game choices before unlocking Secret or Vanguard units |
If you are starting out, prioritize summoning God (Above Heaven) or Gujo (Infinity). Their ability to lock down lanes while dealing massive AoE damage makes early progression incredibly smooth.
Demon Leader (Control)
- Secret Rarity
- Excellent economy support
- Cuts deployment costs and boosts Demon Hunter allies significantly
God (Above Heaven)
- Secret Rarity
- High AoE burst damage
- Features a freeze-style time stop control window to save leaking lanes
Rogita (Super 4)
- Vanguard Rarity
- Single-target boss killer
- One of the strongest burst damage options in the current meta
S-Tier and SS-Tier Unit Breakdown
The absolute pinnacle of the meta consists of units that offer unique mechanics, such as slotless summons or lane-locking crowd control. Understanding why these units occupy the top tiers is essential for high-level team building.
SS-Tier Meta Cores
These units are the foundation of any successful endgame roster. They excel in Raids, Rifts, and high-floor Worldlines progression.
- Song Jinwu and Igros: This Vanguard-rarity unit dominates the meta because it summons shadow soldiers onto the track. These shadow units fight enemies directly without consuming your valuable normal placement slots, providing massive frontline pressure.
- Gujo (Infinity): A legendary crowd-control DPS. Gujo uses wide-area stuns and slows to hold fast-moving enemy waves in place, allowing your primary damage dealers to maximize their DPS windows.
- Ice Queen (Release): The premier freeze-control unit. Evolving her unlocks massive wave-locking capabilities, making her a staple for stall-heavy strategies in infinite modes.
- Alocard (Vampire King): A bleed-focused DPS powerhouse. Alocard excels on multi-lane maps where his stacking bleed status effect melts high-health targets over time.
| Unit Name | Rarity | Primary Role | Best Game Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Song Jinwu & Igros | Vanguard | Summon Pressure | Raid / Infinite |
| Gujo (Infinity) | Secret | Crowd Control DPS | Worldlines / Rifts |
| Ice Queen (Release) | Vanguard | Freeze Control | Legend Stages / Odyssey |
| Alocard (Vampire King) | Vanguard | Bleed DPS | Story / Boss Rush |
Summoned units like shadow soldiers do not count toward your character placement limit. This makes summoner units exceptionally valuable for maximizing your total damage output on the field.
New Update 13.5 Units Evaluation
The Eternal Adversaries Update 13.5 introduced six new units that shake up the traditional team compositions. Players should carefully evaluate these additions before committing rare evolution resources.
- Today's Strongest vs History's Strongest: This new Vanguard-rarity unit from the Summer 26 Seasonal Banner is a top-tier damage target. It offers incredible scaling and acts as a primary carry for late-game challenges.
- Raging Oni vs Wrath God: Obtained via Worldlines, this Secret-rarity unit is a high-priority target for players pushing seasonal floor resets.
- Envoy of Destruction (Resistance): Available through the Event Pass, this Exclusive unit offers great utility and serves as a reliable bridge for mid-game players.
- Summer Mode Units: Lord (Fairy), Reaper (Scissors), and Cursed Doctor (Healer) are Mythic-rarity event units. While they may not replace top-tier Vanguard cores, they are excellent budget options for farming summer event rewards.
| Unit Name | Rarity | Obtainment Path | Initial Meta Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today's Strongest | Vanguard | Summer 26 Banner | Excellent (S+) |
| Raging Oni | Secret | Worldlines Content | Great (S) |
| Envoy of Destruction | Exclusive | Event Pass | Good (A) |
| Lord (Fairy) | Mythic | Summer Gamemode | Moderate (B) |
Do not spend your entire stash of Trait Rerolls on unevolved Summer Mode Mythics. Save your resources for Vanguard-rarity targets like Today's Strongest vs History's Strongest.
Team Building & Progression Strategy
Building a balanced team is far more effective than simply stacking your highest-rarity damage dealers. A proper team needs a mixture of economy, crowd control, and sustained DPS.
Secure Your Economy Support
Start your setup by deploying cost-reduction or income-generating units like Demon Leader. This ensures you have enough gold to upgrade your primary carries during long waves.
Establish Lane Control
Place a crowd-control unit such as Gujo (Infinity) or Ice Queen (Release) near critical chokepoints. Slowing or freezing enemy waves prevents fast enemies from leaking past your defenses.
Deploy Your Main Carry
Bring out your heavy hitters like Rogita (Super 4) or Today's Strongest vs History's Strongest to melt boss targets and clear dense waves.
Utilize Summon Pressure
Fill any remaining gaps with slotless summoners like Song Jinwu and Igros to create a reliable frontline buffer.
Always check your unit's stats and traits before entering high-difficulty Raids. A poorly rolled trait on a top-tier unit can significantly lower your team's overall combat effectiveness.
Resource Optimization & Checklist
Investing in the wrong unit can set your progression back by weeks. Follow this checklist before committing your hard-earned gold, gems, and materials to any character.
Before You Invest Checklist:
- Verify the unit's position on the current 2026 meta tier list.
- Confirm if the unit has an active evolution path and check the material requirements.
- Ensure you have unlocked the necessary Evolution Quests if upgrading major characters.
- Reroll for role-appropriate traits (e.g., Monarch or Ethereal for main carries).
- Check your Memoria links to maximize stat bonuses after the Update 13.5 system changes.
When a Mythic unit evolves into a Secret or Vanguard rarity, its ascensions are removed and do not transfer. Always complete your rarity-changing evolutions first before spending duplicate copies on ascension.
Q: What is the primary factor that determines a unit's position on the anime vanguards tier list?
Units are ranked based on their overall utility, damage scaling, slot efficiency (such as slotless summons), and how well they perform in late-game modes like Raids, Rifts, and Worldlines.
Q: Do evolved units keep their traits and stat rolls?
Yes, evolving a unit does not reset its traits, stat rolls, or mythic trait pity. However, evolving a Mythic unit into a Secret or Vanguard rarity will remove any active ascensions.
Q: Which traits should I look for when rerolling my main damage carries?
For primary carries, aim for top mythic traits like Monarch, Ethereal, or Deadeye. These traits provide massive stat boosts to damage, range, and attack speed.
Q: How did Update 13.5 change the Memoria system?
Update 13.5 removed Memoria evolutions. All Memoria are now evolved by default, and unit evolutions grant their designated Memoria. Unwanted Memoria can be recycled into Memoria Scrap.